Next Of Kin
by Ashley.X.Rose
Summary: "Of course, how silly of me. My name is Hannah Jackson, and the man I'm trying to locate is my father, Barney Ross?" Better description will be given when I have one. Please read A/N at begining. Rated M for language. R&R OC
1. Unexpected Visitor

**This is the first chapter of a fic that I started writing a few weeks ago but only just got round to posting. I will hopefully upload the next chapter later tonight if I get the time to edit it, but for now I just need to know if any of you guys out there would be interested in reading more? Let me know :)**

**A/N - I only own the character of Hannah, if you're not a fan of OCs I don't recommend you read this. If you are a fan, then read away ...**

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__TOOLS _

The sign was clear, she was definitely in the right place. The run down street was dark and dreary. Not a car in sight, only the odd motorcycle would pass her every so often.

Despite the late hour, the tattoo parlour was clearly open. As she peered around the open garage door she noticed one man sitting inside. He was quite old, but a big guy, with muscles bigger than you see on an average wrestler. His shoulder length hair was grey with an off centre parting. Tattoos covered every visible part of his body except for his face.

She knew this man through her fathers stories. "Tool?"

The man named Tool looked up from the paper he was sketching on. The girl who met his eyes could be no older than eighteen, her facial features mature but her figure quite petite, slim with curves in all the right places. Her long, shaggy blonde hair fell down past her shoulders, the style framing her face perfectly. Looking her up and down, Tool realised the clothes she was wearing were dirty. Her slim fit jeans caked in wet patches and mud stains, her red flannel shirt that did up over a slightly revealing black vest top looked soaked through. Ironically, the only part of her that seemed dry were her black converse shoes and a grey leather jacket which she clutched in her left hand. Looking back to her face, Tool noticed the girl's big emerald green eyes staring him down waiting for him to speak.

He promptly stood up and held out his hand to the young girl. "That's me." He smiled.

The girl returned the polite smile, dropping her jacket and a large backpack that she'd been carrying on her left shoulder next to a suitcase that sat behind her and extending her arm to shake Tool's waiting hand.

"I was wondering if you could help me," the girl got straight to the point, "You see, I'm looking for someone and apparently you're the person who can help me locate him."

"Okay," Tool said, leaning against his desk, "This guy got a name? And come to think of it, do you?"

The girl let out a chuckle, "Of course, how silly of me. My name is Hannah Jackson, and the man I'm trying to locate is my father, Barney Ross?"

Tool stood in complete silence for a good few minutes trying to figure out if this girl was being serious. Barney, a daughter?

"Mr Tool…?" Hannah spoke after too much silence for her liking.

"Tool, just Tool," he interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry, Tool," Hannah corrected herself, moving her bags inside the building and perching herself on the set of one of Tool's many motorcycles. "You got questions?"

"Yes, a few," Tool replied with a polite, yet curious smile, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," she replied with a polite smile. Tool picked up a phone that sat on his desk before taking a seat on the bike next to Hannah and dialling 'Barney Ross'

"He never mentioned you." Tool stated as the phone rang.

"Big fucking shocker there," Hannah scoffed sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Tool chuckled, he liked this girl already. His face turned serious as soon as Barney answered the phone.

"_Tool, it's late. Don't you ever sleep?"_

"Not really. You got a visitor waiting for you here, so get your ass outta bed and get over her, brother."

"_A visitor? It's after midnight Tool I'm gonna need a bit more information than that,"_

"Well, she's blonde, gorgeous, a right sweetheart." Tool winked at Hannah as she blushed, "And goes by the name of Hannah."

"_I'll be over ASAP," _And then the line went dead.

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**So, what do you think? Any good?**

**I will only keep posting if I get requests - As I may have mentioned I'm still a little unsure of this fic myself and do not want to continue posting if no one is going to enjoy it :D**

**Lots & Lots & Lots of Love, Ashley x x x**


	2. Father Daughter Catch Up

**First of all, can I just say a huge thank you to all of you who have reviewed and favourited this story, I'm glad to see you're enjoying it.**

**Also, apologies for not having this up sooner. It would have uploaded last night but I felt it needed a little more detail, so I hope the wait was worth it.**

**And finally ... A/N - I only own Hannah, nothing and no one else.**

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As soon as she heard jet black 1955 Ford F1500 pulled into Tool's garage/ tattoo parlour, Hannah knew her father had arrived. She loved that car just as much as he did. Hearing the car stop, she sat up on the sofa she had been lying down on in Tool's back room. Standing up, she peered round the door.

Barney Ross was a man who needed no introduction. As soon as his engine was shut off, he was out of his car. Tool walked to greet his friend, pulling him into a big bear hug.

"Sorry about the late call, brother. Didn't think you'd appreciate waiting until tomorrow." Tool said, pushing Barney back to get a good look at him.

"No apology necessary," Barney replied with tired smile, he rubbed his eyes with his right hand, "So where is the little tyke?"

"_Little tyke_?" Hannah stepped out into her fathers view. "You haven't called me that since I was nine years old."

Barney smiled at his daughter, closing the gap between them in four long strides and pulling her into a warm embrace.

"It's good to see you, kid," the father said, ruffling Hannah's hair as the two separated, "What you doing here so late? Where's your Mom?"

"It's kind of a long story, Dad."

Barney nodded before turning to Tool, "Thanks for calling, I'll be back at some point tomorrow."

"Take care, brother," Tool turned to Hannah who now had on her jacket and was loading her bags into her father's car, "See you around, sweetheart."

"Thanks for tonight, Tool." she smiled, climbing into the passenger side of her father's car. Barney climbed into the drivers seat and the two drove off.

...

Barney's house wasn't the tidiest house in the world, but Hannah had seen many worse. It was a simple two bedroom, one floor flat with adjoining lounge and kitchen and a small bathroom. Hannah knew that her father could afford something much better, but this house had been the house Hannah was born in, and for that reason, Barney would never give it up.

Pulling up outside the house, Barney shut off the engine and helped Hannah carry her bags inside. The young girl carried her belongings straight to the back bedroom. It wasn't strictly speaking _her_ bedroom, but if ever she needed it then anyone else who may be using it would be kicked out within seconds. It contained a queen-size bed, a single wardrobe, a set of drawers upon which sat a TV, and Barney's collection of weights which sat in lines underneath the window which looked out onto the back car park. The wallpaper was sky blue, peeled in places and with vague crayon marks scattering the bottom of all walls.

"You hungry?" Barney asked his daughter as he placed her suitcase beside the wardrobe,

"Want something to drink?"

Hannah perched on the end of the bed and shrugged, "Got any beer?"

"It depends," chuckled Barney, "You gonna tell your mother this time?"

Hannah shook her head, "No, I promise."

"Well alright then, Ross's Bar is now open for business."

Hannah followed her father into the kitchen, taking the beer he handed her out of the fridge as they both took seats at opposite ends of the breakfast bar which separated the lounge and the kitchen.

"So how is your Mom?" asked Barney, taking a swig of his beer.

"She's okay," Hannah replied, picking at the label on her bottle, "She sends her best."

Barney nodded, "So, long story? To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"We got burgled," replied Hannah. Short and simple, as if Barney was supposed to accept it as general conversation.

"What?" Needless to say he didn't. He was up in a split second, moving to the other end of the breakfast bar and taking a seat beside Hannah.

"When? Who? Are you hurt? Is your Mom okay?" Barney kept asking questions, not even taking a breath for Hannah to answer.

"Dad!" the young girl shouted, bringing her father to a calm state of silence, "One question at a time, okay?"

Barney nodded his head and started with a simple question, "When?"

"Last month," Hannah replied. Barney's eyes widened in shock.

"Last month? Why didn't you call?"

Hannah shrugged, "Mom didn't feel the need to worry you. She said she could handle it."

Barney pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, "Were you hurt?" Barney prayed to God that his daughter did not answer 'Yes', he would never be able to forgive himself if she'd been hurt and he wasn't there.

"No, I wasn't hurt."

Barney let out a breath he didn't even realise he'd been holding. He grabbed his beer from the opposite end of the breakfast bar and took a large gulp. Hannah did the opposite and pushed her bottle away from her.

"Neither was Mom," she continued, "We weren't in when it happened. I was at a friends and Mom was at a job interview. I got back first and noticed the door had been busted, so I called the police straight away, like you always said I should if I sensed trouble. I didn't go in until the police got there."

"Good. That good, Han." said Barney, who's arm was now on Hannah's shoulder. "Was anything taken?"

Hannah looked down, "Most of the jewellery, the stereo, TV's and Mom's DVD collection."

"Shit." said Barney, shaking his head, "Anything else?"

Hannah nodded her head and looked up to meet her fathers eyes, "Money. Every penny of the money Mom had hidden under the floorboards."

"Jesus Christ," sighed Barney, he knew as well as Hannah that Linda did not trust banks to look after her money, so she had her own hiding place in the house. Hannah has always told her mother that it was a bad idea for this very reason, but Linda never listened.

"How much was there?" Barney asked his daughter.

Hannah shrugged once more, "She wouldn't give me an exacted number, but I'd say at least $3000."

Barney swore, so suddenly it made Hannah jump. He apologised to his daughter and motioned for her to carry on with the story.

"I begged her to phone you, Dad. I knew you'd lend us the money but you know how proud she is. She was having none of it. I knew she never would have forgiven me if I called so I just left her to it. She was positive that she'd make back every penny."

Barney stood up, grabbed his beer and made his way into the lounge, Hannah watched him with curious eyes. Barney wasn't mad, he wasn't even disappointed; he was confused. There would have been no room for the word 'lend', if Linda had called Barney then he would haven _given _her as much money as she needed to get back on her feet, and he knew that Linda knew that. The only question is _why _didn't she?

"Dad?" Hannah's soft voice pulled Barney from his thoughts. Barney turned to see his daughters eyes watching him, waiting for him to say something.

"Yeah, baby?" he asked, placing his beer on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You have _nothing _to be sorry for." Barney walked over his daughter and gently cupped her face in his hands, lightly kissing her on the forehead.

"Where's your Mother now?" he asked, slumping down on the sofa.

"She got a job overseas. A chef's job at some Summer Camp. The pay's fantastic, but she's gone for eight weeks. Instead of being home alone, I was wondering if I could stay here? Even if it's just for a couple of weeks, I don't have to stay for the full eight. I just don't want…"

Barney cut his daughter off mid-speech, patting the seat next to him for her to seat down. She did as he asked, looking to him for his answer.

"You don't need to ask Han. This is you're home as well and you're welcome as long as you want."

Hannah smiled, "Even for the full eight weeks?"

Barney smiled back, "I'd actually prefer it."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thanks Dad." said Hannah, pulling her father into the biggest hug he'd received in a long time.

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**So, opinions? R&R. **

**Love until next time people :) Ashley x x x**


	3. Back To Work

**Hello all :) **

**I'd like to start by apologising for the long wait on this chapter. Writers block hit extreme and I haven't been able to write a thing. Sucks I know, but hey I'm back now.**

**Secondly, a big thank you to all who have reviewed on my first two chapters. I'm so happy you're all enjoying the story.**

**So here is the next installment, hope you all like it...**

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Ross found it difficult to fall asleep that night. He lay in his bed with the curtains open, the gleam from the moonlight lighting up his entire room. This didn't bother him, if anything he found it rather peaceful. Tossing and turning, he failed to find a sleeping position that provided him with enough comfort to fall asleep, so he gave and climbed out of his bed.

Making sure he moved as silently as possible through his house, Barney made his way into the living room, making a quick stop in the kitchen for a nice cold beer. Not bothering to turn on any lights, Barney slumped down on the sofa and flicked on the TV, browsing through the channels and every so often taking a large sip out of his beer bottle.

Nothing was on. Nothing worth watching was ever on at three o'clock in the morning, so why Barney thought today would be any different was beyond even him.

Flicking to a channel which was broadcasting repeats of the days sports, Barney set his beer down on the coffee table and relaxed into his chair. He closed his eyes and listened to the TV, slowly but surely falling in to his desired peaceful slumber.

Hannah woke up with no alarm at nine o'clock the following morning, which was early even by her standards. She silently made her way to the bathroom, taking gentle steps just in case her father was still in bed. Hannah ran the cold tap and splashed some water on her face, dabbing it dry with a nearby towel before thoroughly brushing her teeth.

After Hannah was finished in the bathroom, she made her way into the front room. The sight before her eyes brought a smile to her face.

Barney was fast asleep, sprawled out on his stomach across the entire sofa. The TV was still on the same channel that he'd been watching during the early hours of the morning, only now it was showing some rubbish tele-shopping programme instead of sports repeats.

Hannah turned off the TV and stepped into the kitchen, helping herself to a cup of coffee and pouring a cup for her father.

Making her way back into the lounge, Hannah placed both mugs down on the coffee table and gave her father a gentle shake."Dad, I made you a cup of coffee."

Barney stirred and sat up, still half asleep. Hannah picked up the coffee and held it out to her father, Barney took it with a smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Hannah replied, taking a seat next to her father, "Got any plans for today?"

"Just a few errands," Barney answered, taking a large sip of his coffee, "You gonna be okay for the day. I promise we'll do something together to catch up tomorrow."

"Dad, I'll be fine. Do what you have to do. Go save lives and beat the bad guys." Hannah smiled. Barney stood up with his coffee, bending over and kissing Hannah's forehead.

"Love you." he said to his daughter, making his way towards the bathroom.

"Love you too." she called after him.

Barney was the last of the team to arrive at Tool's. As soon as he pulled in to the garage, all eyes were on him.

"Great," Barney thought to himself, "Tool told everyone." He didn't mind that his team knew about Hannah, but Barney would have liked to be the one to tell them. Parking up and shutting off the engine, Barney noticed the smirk on Christmas's face. Lee Christmas was the only one of the team who knew about Hannah, Barney had let it slip during a scouting mission the two of them had gone on when Hannah was very young. Christmas, of course had promised not to say anything after Barney gave him an hour long speech on the reasoning for him keeping his daughter a secret, the main reason obviously being her safety.

But now everyone knew, and everyone was staring at him.

Climbing out of his car, Barney eyed his men one by one. Christmas, Yang, Toll, Gunner, Hale and Tool. Each of the men followed Barney's every step until he came to a stop beside Christmas. Barney rolled his eyes when no one took his eyes off him and no one said a word.

"What?" he asked, looking around and waiting for someone to speak.

"Well," Gunnar said, trying to conceal a smirk, "Daddy?"

The men failed in holding in their laughter any longer. Only Barney and Tool remained straight faced, the two men exchanged glances. After a few minutes of non stop laughter, Barney bought the situation to order.

"Alright!" he shouted, loud enough to bring his men to silence, "Yes, I have a daughter. No, this does not make me soft. I'm still Barney Ross, I'm still your boss and I can still kick any one of your asses with one hand tied behind my back. So we gonna get down to business?"

The men all exchanged glances before nodding. Small smirks were still obvious in their expressions, but this Barney could handle.

"All right, so what's the job?" Barney asked Tool.

"Un-specified," Tool replied, "The guy wants a meeting."

"Guy got a name?" asked Christmas. As usual, he was playing with one of his many knives.

"Said Barney knows him as 'Church'" shrugged Tool, looking to Barney. Barney rolled his eyes, shaking his head and gently pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No shit." said Christmas.

"The guy who set us up for Vilena?" asked Yang. Barney nodded his head.

"No fucking way,"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No way we can trust him."

"Alright everybody quiet!" shouted Barney, trying his best to think over the sound of his team's loud protests.

He turned to tool. "Set up the meeting,"

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**Love until next time, Folks. **

**Ashley x x x**


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